Strings
by ShadowKnight49
Summary: Strings. Like a good bond, they're strong and flexile. Like a good bond, they are able to change to suit certain situations. Like a good bond, they can make something beautiful. Like a good bond, they can be cut. Like a good bond, they can control someone. Like a good bond, they can create something harmful. Like a good bond, they can come to end someone's life.
1. The Puppeteer

**I HATH RETURNDETH**

 **I'm going to naturally assume you read the title, but I might as well give a few warnings.**

 **One, there will be a few headcanons used here. They may break some lore, but I'll try my best to not shatter either** _ **Dark Souls**_ **or** _ **Touhou**_ ' **s lore. Of course, raising DS's power scale and lowering TH's might be as bad as it gets. I hope.**

 **Also, there will be a few other ships, mostly just jabs. These include:**

 **Ornstein x Sakuya Izayoi**

 **Marisa Kirisame x Rinnosuke Morichika**

 **Ciaran x Artorias**

 **Reimu Hakurei x Nasupil Hong (OC)**

 **That being said, let's get right into it!**

Chapter 1: The Puppeteer

Years had passed since the Chosen Undead convinced Gough to help him shoot down the black dragon Kalameet. He left Gough alone, and the giant figured he'd been left alone for the rest of his life.

However, he was freed by Dragonslayer Ornstein, who led him away from his prison and to a forest far away from any humans. With that, the Dragonslayer left Gough to rebuild his new life.

Gough began to spend his days building a new bow, whittling, and hunting. Everything was the same. Carve. Hunt. Cook. Repeat.

Eventually, Gough learned that he could decrease his size and go back at will. Unfortunately, he couldn't go any lower than eight-five. Still, it was something.

Years passed, and he was mostly lonely throughout them. He was visited by Ornstein occasionally, and Ciaran would appear rarely. He was used to the loneliness… not that he liked it.

One night, when reflecting on this, he lay down on the grassy field and imagined the stars before closing his blind eyes.

 _ **Would you hold my hand?**_

Gough woke up to the sound of one person approaching. The newcomer was armored, so it couldn't be a random traveler or Ciaran. Nor did it sound like the chainmail of Artorias, which he longed to hear. It was the sound of plates clanking against each other, of a metal rod tapping the ground with each step like a walking stick. Their presence caused Gough to feel static and put his hairs on end. The smell of clean armor as well. That meant only one person...

"Ornstein…" he grumbled, sitting up.

"Gough. Are you faring well?" Ornstein asked in his usual clipped, serious voice.

"Indeed. As for you?"

"I am doing well."

Gough nodded. Of course Ornstein was doing well. A few years back, he told Gough that he was married to a maid in a mansion. A month after that, Ornstein told Gough that they were having a baby. What could possibly be wrong with Ornstein's life?

"I have come to ask you a favor," Ornstein said.

Gough raised an eyebrow. Ornstein never asked for favors. He always did things himself so nobody would need to trouble themselves.

"A favor?" Gough repeated.

"Indeed," Ornstein said. "I want for you to stay with a magician."

Gough took a bit to process Ornstein's request. He had no idea where Ornstein was going with this and wasn't liking it… much.

"Let me elaborate," Ornstein continued. "There's a magician in the Forest of Magic whom is very lonely. She is currently being tempted by an outside force to turn against her own, one who preys on her loneliness. So I want for you to assure her she isn't lonely. Do anything to make sure she doesn't turn to the abyss."

"Do you wish for me to court her?" Gough asked.

He heard Ornstein chuckle. It didn't sound mean, but it rubbed Gough the wrong way. Feeling irritation, Gough shoved it back down.

"Well, where's this Forest of Magic?" Gough asked.

 _ **Would you hold my hand?**_

As he stomped through the Forest of Magic in his smaller form, Gough heard the voice again. He tried to grasp where in his memories it came from, but it was gone with the wind.

Grumbling, he sensed a house up ahead. He felt magic coming from it, so it must be the right place…

Going to the front door, he knocked on it twice without cracking it. He took a step back and prepared himself for th-

"Oy, you're tall, ze!"

Gough stumbled back and 'looked' at the person in front of him. He smelled smoke from an explosion, and a lot of dangerous chemicals. The house itself smelled like nobody had been cleaning it for years.

"Greetings, magician," he said politely. "I have come to stay and keep you company. I hope you haven't been too lonely."

The house owner was silent.

"Ehh… I'm not really lonely," the house owner, who was definitely a female, told him. "If I had to guess, you're looking for Alice."

"Is this Alice a lonely magician?" Gough asked.

"Yeah. I mean, sure, she has a lot of… 'friends', but they aren't good company."

"Would you show me the way to this Alice's house?"

He heard the girl lift her arm. She was probably pointing in a direction.

"Excuse me, I cannot see," Gough informed her.

"Ah, okay then," the girl said.

She took his right hand and pointed it to his two o'clock.

"There, that way," the girl told him. She chuckled before saying, "Good luck. She's a handful."

She let go and closed the door of her house, presumably inside.

Gough began moving in the direction she had him point, and then sighed on his way there.

 _Didn't even say goodbye,_ he thought.

He began to sense another house. This one he could tell was a lot more quaint. However…

The magic he sensed from this house was a lot stronger than the other one.

He went up to the door and knocked. A second later, the door opened.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?"

This one's voice was very mature. Kind, but there was something distant about it. Gentle, but with a certain hardness underneath it.

"Greetings, magician," Gough said the second time today. "I have come to stay and keep you company. I hope you haven't been too lonely."

The magician, Alice, immediately replied, "Well, I do always welcome visitors. Come on in."

She began walking into the house. Gough ducked under the doorframe and followed. Luckily for him, the roof was high enough to accommodate his shrunken size.

The first thing he noticed? The air was moving. Like there was a crowd constantly walking around him. But the house was too small, and there were no footsteps other than his and Alice's.

As something sped by him, he caught it in midair. It tried to struggle, but his grip was too strong. He felt it and understood immediately: it was a doll. And it didn't seem to have strings.

"You can control puppets?" Gough asked.

"Yes, I can," Alice said. "Of course, it's more than just a puppet show."

Gough nodded and released the doll. He could've sworn it was shaking its fist at him before going back to work.

"You can sit at the table," Alice told Gough. "I have cake and tea if you're interested."

The giant followed her voice and groped around. He felt a chair and sat down in it.

"You'll have to excuse me," Gough told Alice. "I am blind."

Alice grunted in understanding. "So, you say that you are staying here?"

"Indeed. Is there a problem?"

"No. In fact, I'd be glad to have company."

Gough nodded.

"My name is Alice. Alice Margatroid," Alice introduced herself.

"I am Gough," he said. "Hawkeye Gough of the Four Knights of Gwyn."

He heard Alice's teacup smash against the floor.


	2. Hawkeye

Chapter 2: Hawkeye

The teacup shattered against the floor. The sound of it cracking into little pieces and its fragments clattering against the floor scratched at Gough's ears. He never got surprised by anything anymore and felt nothing from it, but he did accidentally let out an involuntary grunt.

"The Four Knights of Gwyn?" Alice repeated.

"Indeed," Gough responded.

He expected his mission to be over. He expected Alice to tell him to leave at once. He expected her dolls to push him out the door. He expected her to get out a knife and mutilate him, just as the others had done befo-

"It's an honor, Hawkeye Gough," Alice said.

 _This_ is what shocked him.

"An honor?" he repeated.

"Yeah, it is," Alice reaffirmed. "I've read the tales about you... and the others."

"Mm," was all Gough could respond with.

Alice continued, "I don't get visitors often, and if you don't have anywhere to live..."

Gough didn't have the heart to tell her that he preferred living in the wide open spaces of the forest.

"It would be a pleasure," Gough said.

Alice didn't reply, so Gough could only assume she was making a face of some sort.

He heard the dolls sweep up the pieces of the broken teacup, and then Alice's chair scraped away from his direction, presumably her getting up.

"I'll make a bed for you," she announced. "Excuse me."

Gough nodded as he heard her walk away.

He could tell by a strain in her voice that she was trying not to let something slip. He sensed that, if she was telling the truth, she wouldn't be so kind to him.

Then again, she never really said she _wanted_ him here.

He listened to the dolls rushing around for a bit longer before he heard Alice's heels _clack clack clack_ towards him.

"It's finished," she said. "I'll lead you there."

Gough got up, and Alice grabbed his wrist. Pulling him gently, he let his free hand run across the wall adjacent to him. They were walking through a hallway, and Alice took a turn, and this time Gough could tell that he was walking through a doorframe.

"Your bed's here," Alice told him. "I hope it's big enough for you."

Gough nodded and walked past her to his bed. He felt it down and found where the pillow was before lying down on it. He heard Alice leave and close the door behind her before walking upstairs. With a grunt, Gough shut his eyes (not that there was any difference to him) and soon fell asleep...

...

 _The lumberjack's daughter is the only one besides your dear friends who know where you live in the woods._

 _The young girl is pleasant and doesn't bother you, for the most part. She is chatty, but there's something charming about her that you cannot deny. She cannot be any older than seven, and is a mere human. If you wanted to, you could crush her under your thumb. But then you would be no better than the other giants._

 _Not that the villagers care._

 _The girl looks up at you and says, "Sir Gough! I have a question for thee!"_

 _You look down on her and ask, "What has thou wondering about myself?"_

 _"Well," the young girl says guiltily, "I wanted to know something about thee!"_

 _"Very well, young one. What does thee want to know?"_

 _The young girl opens her mouth._

 _..._

 ** _Would you hold my hand?_**

Gough immediately tried to remember that dream... he knew that face, that voice...

He desperately searched his memories, but they weren't there. And soon enough, the dream faded, and it was lost forever.

With a sigh of disappointment, Gough got up from his bed. The floorboards creaked under his weight, but he stood up and walked over to where he remembered the door being. Finding the knob, he twisted it and entered the hallway, and immediately he registered a sound.

Sizzling. Along with that, the smell of meat cooking.

Following the path he had taken before, Gough stepped into Alice's foyer, and registered the fact that she was humming a cheery song.

"Oh, good morning, Sir Gough!" Alice greeted cheerily. If her voice signified anything, it was that her good night's rest had made her a brighter, happier person. Something Gough could appreciate.

"Good morning, Lady Alice," Gough replied politely. Alice giggled at that.

"'Lady Alice?'" she repeated. "I don't really deserve that, do I?"

Gough, stuck to his code as a knight, nodded.

Alice let out another giggle and repeated again, "'Lady Alice.' I like that. I really do."

"I'm glad," Gough said, really not sure how else to respond.

With the sound of her footsteps coming towards him, Alice put her hand on his bare left bicep, considering it. Before Gough could consider how gentle her hand was, she said, "Hey, who hurt you like this?"

"People," Gough replied plainly.

Alice made a disgusted sound and retracted her hand. "You're their defender, and they do this to you? Disgusting."

Gough had to wonder how she knew it was the people he was defending, seeing as his vague answer could've been enemies of Gwyn. Before he could ask, she suddenly said, "Oh, I'm going out for a bit. See you!"

The door opened and closed. Turning to where the cooking meat was coming from, Gough went over, grabbed the bacon from the pan with his bare hands, and ate it.

It was flinty, hard, and tasted bitter. Definitely burned.

He crunched down on it anyway.

After eating the rest of the bacon, Gough searched for a water source to was the pan. Nearby the stove was a tap that released water, so he put the pan under the running water and, when it felt perfectly clean to him, set it aside to dry.

Sometime after that, Alice returned with a sigh. She simply said, "I'm back."

"Welcome back, Lady Alice," Gough greeted.

"Hello, Hawkeye Gough," Alice greeted. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes," Gough responded, deciding not to comment on the bacon.

He heard Alice step away and heard a small _pomf_ as she sat down on a chair, he assumed.

"What are you doing, Lady Alice?" Gough asked.

"Some of my dolls were damaged earlier," Alice told him. "I'm going to repair them."

"Truly? May I be of assistance?"

"Sorry, but I don't think you... have the right capabilities to do it."

Giant fingers. Blind. Obviously.

"Apologies, Lady Alice," Gough mumbled, feeling impotent.

"You offered, and that's good enough," Alice told him. "I'm happy you did."

Gough nodded, feeling a bit better about himself. "What is the use of your dolls, Alice?" he decided to ask her.

"Many uses," Alice responded. "I use them for chores or combat, mostly."

"Combat?"

"Yes. Sometimes someone will challenge me to combat, and I... I actually really like fighting. That's what the combat dolls are for. Sure, there are the ones that cut the grass outside, but instead of shears, the combat dolls are armed with swords, shields, all sorts of weapons."

"And how many dolls do you tend to use?"

"Usually around thirty."

Unless these dolls were as strong as toys, which was heavily doubtful, Alice would definitely be a tough opponent to face.

Deciding to find out Alice's full potential, Gough asked: "How many can you control?"

Instead of replying, Alice laughed before telling him, "Fight me. Maybe you'll find out."

"A knight's duel."

"Sure, if that's how you want it to be."

Gough considered the possibilities before replying: "I attack only behind armies, not in front of it. My apologies, Lady Alice, but I must refuse."

"Good," Alice replied, sounding impressed. "You know when to pick your fights."

Okay, Alice did sound impressed. But there was a quiver in her voice that let Gough know that she was afraid of such a fight.

They were always afraid of giants.

"What do you plan to do today?" Gough asked Alice.

"I might go and visit my friend Marisa later," Alice told him, "...and maybe see Patchouli Knowledge to trade some stuff."

 _Patchouli Knowledge,_ Gough remembered. _She lives at the same place as Ornstein._

"Do you want to tag along?" Alice asked.

"I'd be honored."

"Good. Then get some earmuffs. Marisa's place isn't going to be quiet."


	3. The Wrong Magician

Chapter 3: The Wrong Magician

Gough did expect to see the witch again at some point. He just didn't expect to see her again so soon.

"Yoo Alice!" the witch from the other day greeted Alice as they stepped into her property. "How's it going?"

"I'm doing okay, I guess," Alice responded mildly. "As for you?"

"Meh." A pause, then the witch suddenly shouted, "Whoa! You're the giant from before!"

Gough grunted and gave a nod.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You did ask for directions to Alice's place," the witch grumbled.

Alice gave a cough and introduced, "Hawkeye Gough, this is Marisa Kirisame, a friend of mine. Marisa, this is Hawkeye Gough, one of the Four Knights of Gwyn."

"'The Four Knights of Gwyn?'" Marisa repeated.

"Yes," Gough confirmed.

"Never heard of 'em."

The giant didn't respond. Things were better that way. He personally preferred a lack of recognition over idolization.

Or better yet, hatred.

"Sounds kinda cool, though," Marisa remarked.

Gough grunted in response, not sure what else to say.

"Okay, we've been standing out here for a while," Marisa said with a sigh. "Come on, let's go in."

Hearing Alice and Marisa enter the house, Gough held his hands out so he could feel his way in. His fingers came in contact with the doorframe, and he got a good idea about how wide and tall it was before ducking inside the house. He kicked something on accident and walked around it. His foot immediately almost squashed something else, and he brought his foot back and gently moved everything out of the way with his feet as he scooted his way in.

He could appreciate owning a great number of things, but this was ridiculous.

"Hawkeye Gough, you could take that seat right there. It might fit for you..." Alice's voice came from his right, sounding slightly amused.

One of the dolls (it seemed Alice took them everywhere with her) led Gough by the hand a bit closer to Alice's voice. It had him reach down and he felt soft leather. A couch. He groped it to understand its size and, once he understood how large it was, sat down. Of course, he had to lean forward a bit due to the roof, but he didn't complain.

"Oy, you could lose a few pounds," Marisa commented.

Gough grunted noncommittally. He was bulky, technically, but it didn't matter.

"Geez, Marisa, stop," Alice grumbled, but a chuckle came out of her voice.

Marisa let out a small laugh. "So, Alice, is he your boyfriend or something?"

"Ha ha, no. Hawkeye Gough is just supposed to watch me for now. We're just roommates."

"Hah! Yeah, right!"

The two girls laughed, and Gough frowned under his helmet. Ornstein had described Alice as a lonely magician, but she seemed to be lively and happy with her friend, Marisa. There was something not right about that.

Since Alice was going to stop by the same residence that Ornstein lived in, Gough decided to ask him if she was the wrong magician. Ornstein hadn't specified a name, and it was possible that Marisa had pointed him to the wrong magician.

The two girls were still talking. Marisa was talking about a theft she had done, and Alice was chastising her for certain things she did, but she was nonetheless amused and laughed at certain points. She sounded so happy. What could be wrong with her?

The giant felt the doll pat his shoulder. Well, at least someone understood how lonely he felt right now.

 _ **Would you hold my hand?**_

"Sorry we didn't include you much, Hawkeye Gough," Alice apologized on their way to the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

"It is no problem, Lady Alice," Gough told her. "I am quite used to such events."

"That doesn't make it okay..."

Gough didn't respond to that. She was right, but...

Alice and Marisa ended up talking for almost two hours. New items they had collected, battles they fought, something about sneaking up on two people named 'Reimu' and 'Nasupil' at one point in Marisa's case. That whole time, Gough merely sat in silence, listening to their conversation as Alice's doll patted his shoulder.

Now, Gough recognized the doll was floating next to Alice. He patted its head, and it pushed his hand off almost bashfully.

"Is that a doll?" Gough asked, in case it was accidentally Alice he headpatted.

"Yeah, it is," Alice told him. "She's a special one. Her name is Shanghai."

Gough grunted in understanding before saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Shanghai."

The doll didn't respond.

"She doesn't talk," Alice told him, a giggle escaping her mouth.

Giving a little nod, Gough didn't press the question. Why would a doll talk?

The grass beneath their feet turned to dirt, and Gough heard the crunch of the grains scraping against each other as he put one foot in front of the other.

"We're here," Alice told him. "Let's go talk to the gatekeeper."

Following the sound of Alice's smaller footsteps, Gough followed her until she stopped in her tracks. He did the same, and he immediately heard snoring.

With a sigh, Alice remarked, "Meiling. Taking a nap as usual?"

There was no response from the snoring Meiling, and Gough wondered what was happening until he heard a loud _crack_ of flesh on flesh.

"Wha-I'm up!" a new voice shouted. Apparently, Meiling woke up, and soon the sleepiness went out of her voice as she said, "Oh, Alice Margatroid. Gonna bargain with Patchouli again?"

Gough didn't hear Alice's response, but he could assume she nodded because Meiling said, "Well, okay, you can come in. But as for the giant..."

Meiling made an exaggerated sound like she was shivering. Gough wasn't too offended. He'd heard it before.

"Come on, Meiling, let him in." Alice argued.

"Sorry, no can do. Unless someone else can attest, then..."

"Let him in," a recognizable voice commanded.

Ornstein was here.

With a muffled sound of surprise, Meiling then shouted, "Ornstein! Do you know this-"

"Yes," Ornstein replied calmly. "He is one of my greatest friends."

In his thanks, Gough gave Ornstein a small bow. He heard the sound of Ornstein's armor clank, so he assumed Ornstein returned the gesture.

Giving a small groan, Meiling said, "Okay, fine."

The gates screeched open, and Alice's footsteps led towards them. Gough followed her, determined to speak to Ornstein.

Once the clean smell of Ornstein's armor was strong in his nostrils, he called: "Lady Alice."

"Hawkeye Gough?" she said.

"I would like to speak to Sir Ornstein while we're here, if that would be alright."

Alice said nothing for a moment. Then she replied: "That's okay. It's only fair."

He heard Ornstein turn to him, but Gough chose to nod at Alice instead. She walked away, and Gough heard the door shut behind her.

"Come this way," Ornstein told him, and walked to Gough's right.

Following him, Gough heard Ornstein sit down a bit away from the main path to the mansion. Going to Ornstein's vicinity and feeling the ground, Gough felt a picnic blanket on the grass. He sat down, and heard Ornstein take his helmet off.

"I wish those fools hadn't ruined your sight," Ornstein said conversationally. "You would've loved all of these flowers."

Now that he mentioned it, Gough could smell all kinds of flowers. From something as normal as roses to flowers as poisonous as larkspur, he could tell they were all around him.

"I do wish to see them," Gough admitted.

"I miss those days," Ornstein murmured. "When we were in our prime. Us. Artorias. Ciaran. Serving under Lord Gwyn with our maximum power. Slaying dragons. Bringing peace."

Gough didn't remember things being so simple. He did remember the people he was protecting mutilating him.

As if Ornstein read his thoughts, he continued, "Of course, there were problems. But, let's be frank, if a kingdom didn't have problems, it wouldn't be a kingdom at all."

To that, Gough had no argument.

In that moment of silence, Gough heard a _tick tick tick_ like a clock, and he turned to its source. Of course, he couldn't see anybody, but he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching them.

"Good afternoon, Lord Gough," a gentle, elegant voice said to him. "Would you like a sandwich and lemonade?"

He heard the second pair of footsteps, one that was lighter on their feet, step close to him and give a small giggle.

"Oh!" Ornstein said. "I should've introduced you, Sir Gough."

Ornstein stood up and walked to the newcomers. His hand went on the first one's shoulder, and he said, "This is my wife, Sakuya Izayoi. And that little one right there is our daughter, Puella."

Gough considered the small girl right next to him. He placed a gentle hand on her head, and she laughed.

"It is my pleasure to meet the family of Sir Ornstein," Gough told them.

"And my honor to meet you," Sakuya replied.

Retracting his hand from Puella's head, Gough responded to Sakuya's question: "I would like a sandwich, if you would."

Puella tapped his hand and opened his fingers. She then put something into his open palm. A small sandwich.

"Thank you," the giant rumbled.

The young girl giggled again before running back to her parents.

"Now, Sakuya, dear, can you leave us for a moment?" Ornstein requested. "Sir Gough and I have something to discuss."

 _ **Would you hold my hand?**_

"Did I come across the right magician?" Gough asked.

"Yes, you have," Ornstein told him. "Is there an issue?"

"I have talked to Alice, and heard her talk to another girl. She seems happy."

"...I see."

Ornstein paused, and Gough didn't know what he meant.

"I apologize, I should've known because you cannot see," Ornstein said, his apology sincere. "Though you cannot tell on the surface, or hear it in her voice, you can see it in her eyes."

Feeling uneasy, Gough asked: "What is it that you can see in her eyes?"

"The crushing despair."

Ornstein let that sit, and both knights sat in silence.

What could have been minutes or hours later, Alice's footsteps approached them and said, "Hawkeye Gough, let's go!"

Gough stood up and turned to Ornstein. "I will see you soon, Sir Ornstein."

"As to you, Sir Gough," Ornstein responded.

Alice and Gough left the mansion grounds and began walking to her house. Thinking of what was going on inside her head, Gough said nothing, lost in thought.

"Sir Gough?"

Gough realized Alice was talking to him. He responded: "Yes, Lady Alice?"

"I'm sorry we didn't get to spend much time together today. How about we do something on our own tomorrow?"

The giant wondered if this is what was considered 'courting.'

"Of course, Lady Alice," he said.

He didn't know Alice well. But he knew that this was his chance to learn more about her. And if he understood her better, he might just find out what it would take to make her happy.


End file.
